Surveillance systems including cameras typically provide at least a minimum level of security for retailers to protect against theft and other crimes. Although thieves can learn how to avoid being caught by such systems, it is often difficult to deny culpability when a criminal activity is captured on video. Thus, surveillance serves to deter criminal behavior because one may be identified from recorded footage.
The sophistication of a digital surveillance system can vary depending on the application. For example, in a lower cost application, a single camera is typically mounted in the vicinity of a cash register at, for example, a convenience store. Video data generated by such a camera is either stored in a local memory storage device or is transmitted as digital data over the Internet to a remote memory storage device. In the event that a crime occurs, the video data is recovered from the storage device to positively identify the perpetrator.
More sophisticated surveillance systems include multiple cameras for simultaneous viewing of different locations such as different monitored sections of a retail store. Video signals generated by the cameras are fed to display monitors in a surveillance room occupied by security personnel who review the captured images for suspicious activity. Typically, the surveillance room is located in the same building as the premises being monitored and a local area network is utilized as a medium to transfer the video data from the cameras to the surveillance room. In certain applications, however, the video data is transmitted over an Internet connection to a faraway, central surveillance office where additional security personnel also review the video data.